Journal box lid



March 14, 1961 D. G. SYMER 2,975,006

JOURNAL BOX LID Filed Feb. 20, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 2

1 Invenfor: Donald G. Symer FIGLd Byw z his Attorney March 14, 1961 D. G. SYMER JOURNAL BOX LID 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb, O, 1959 FIG. 3

In ve ntqr: Donald G. Symer his Attorney 2, 006 JOURNAL BOX LID Dona d-Ga ma Lan as r .140

ton Way eCorimrafi mS ibuiaMd9 a corpo ati n o Mary and Filed Feb. 20, 1959, Ser. No. 794,745

lCl- This invention relates to journal box lids and has for its primary object to provide an improved journal box lid having a high closing pressure which-is obtained-without correspondingly increasing the force required to open and close the lid.

Another object of the invention is to provide a'journal box lid in which the same spring means is enabled to apply a high closing pressure and a much-reduced pressure during opening and closing.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a journal box lid having inbuilt means acting through the lid spring -for increasing the pressure exerted thereby on the lid when closed, while decreasing that pressure to facilitate opening and closing of the lid.

A .further object of the invention is to provide an articulated journal box lid employing as its spring means a torsion spring and having -a locking lever capable, :by flexing the spring intermediate :it-s ends, of increasingthe torsion thereon in the closed position of the lid and correspondingly increasing the latters closing pressure.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter in the detailed description, be particu- United States Patent 0 an pointed out in the appended claims and be illus- I trated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a preferred embodiment of the journal box lid of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the lid of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale taken along the lines 3-3 of Figure 1 with the locking lever shown in side elevation and locked position' Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view on the section of Figure 3 showing the locking lever in released position;

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken along the lines 5-5 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a horizontal sectional view taken along the lines 66 of Figure 3; and

Figure 7 is a rear elevational view of the lid on the scale of Figure 3 with the cover removed.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, in which like reference characters designate like parts, the improved high pressure journal box lid of the present invention is adapted for general use on journal boxes and is of particular advantage in being capable of applying a high closing pressure without a corresponding increase in the force required to open and close it.

Conventionally hingedly or pivotally mountable on a hinge lug 2 of a journal box 1 for closing or covering an acess opening 3 therein, the lid of this invention is comprised essentially of a cover 4 engageable with the "lid or cover-engaging face 5 of the journal box about the access opening a hood 6 hingedly connectable to the hinge "lug by a pintle or pivot pin 7 and connected for limited relative angling or articulation to the cover, spring means 8 reacting constantly against the hinge lug for resisting opening and closing of the lid, and lever Patented Mar. 14, 1961 means 9 jfOl increasing the pressure applied by the spring means when the "lid is in closed position.

Embodying 'the above essentials, the lid illustrated as exemplary of the invention, except for its high closing pressure, is generally similar "to the lid of Glenn Couch application, Serial No. 505,225, filed May 2, 1955. Thus, its hood 6 has, adjacent its upper end, a pair of instandjng, transversely "spaced 62118510 for straddling the hinge log '2 and aperturedto vreceive the ninth: pin 7 and, below its upper end, is bifurcated by a longitudinally extending opening, aperture, or slot 111 centered transversely on the hood. For connecting the hood 6 for limited relative angling or articulation to the ;cover 4, side portions or legs 12 of the hood at either side of the slot 11 are connected adjacent their jloiver extremities by an integral web :13 :fitta'ble into a central cavity "14 in the cover 4-and carrying an outwardly facing semispherical protuberance or ball 15 seating in a confronting, corresponding configured socket 16 in a bridge member '17, the extremities or end portions 18 of which are fixed to the cover above and below the cavity.

The similarity between the illustrated lid and that of the Couch application also extends sto'their'spring means, the illustrated spring means 8 conseguentlybeing a U- shaped torsion spring having a pairof transversely spaced legs 19 extending longitudinally of the hood '6 and con nected at their upper ends by an integral link '20 on which is rotatably mounted'a roller '21 adapted normally to bear or act inwardly against the flat front face .22 of the hinge lug ,2 and, vin opening and closing, to

roll between that face and the lugs arcuate or cam-- shaped upper ,face 23.. Intermediate their extremities, the legs 19 of the torsion spring '8 are coiled outwardly about a common transverse axis, the coils or coil portions 24 so formed bearing or acting outwardly against the hood and dividing the legs into upper connected and lower separate leg portions 25 and 2.6, respectively, the lower of which bear or act inwardly against the .cover4 at opposite sides of the cavity 14. With the legs 19 bearing at their opposite vextremities against the ih'in ge log 2 and the cover 4 and the coils 24 on the legs hearing against the hood 6, the common transverse axis of the coils serves as the axis of flexure or flexing axis of the spring '8. s

In common with other lids employing similar torsion springs, that of the Couch application has the axis of flexure of its spring fixed at all times by its hood so that the pressure applied by the spring to the cover in the closed position of the lid is directly related tothe force required to open and close the lid. By contrast,

in accordance with the present invention, increased force is applied to the spring 8 by the lever means 9 when the lid is closed, with corresponding increase in the closing pressure applied between the cover 4 and the lid face 5 on the journal box 1. In the illustrated embodiment, this is accomplished by employing the lever means 9, where the lid is closed to shift the axis of flexure of the spring 8 inwardly toward the cover. 'To this end the coils 24 carry a preferably cylindrical rod or pin 27 which extends axially through the coils and, to hold it in place, rides or slides at its ends beyond the coils in transversely spaced confronting guide slots or grooves 28 formed in the underface 29 of the hood 6. Preferably closed outwardly to limit outward movement of the rod 27, the guide slots 28 open inwardly toward the cover ends and between the coils 24, a cylindrical sleeve, bushing or roller 30. H

The lever means or locking lever .9, by which the axis of flexure of the spring 8 is shifted inwardly when the lid is closed, preferably, is in the form of a camming lever fulcruming or pivoting on conveniently integral trunnions 31 in inwardly open, semi-cylndrical seats 32 in the underface 29 of the hood 6 at opposite sides of the central opening 11 therein and sodisposed transversely of the hood that the lever will pivot or swing about an axis substantially parallel to the hinging axis of the lid. The inner or hood-connected end portion 33 of the lever about the trunnions 31 is in the form of a cam projecting or extending through the central opening 11 and having a camming or cam face 34 hearing against or engaging the sleeve 30 carried by the rod 27 between the coils 24 of the spring 8, the contour of the camming face being such that, in the locked position of the lever, the coils, through the sleeve and rod, will have been forced toward and substantially to the cover, while in the released position of the lever, the ends of the rod will be substantially at the outer limits of the guide slots 28. In turn, the arc of swing of the lever 9 preferably is such that its arm 35 in locked position will lie close to the cover 4 and in released position will both be out of the way of the operator and clear any adjoining structure during opening and closinng of the lid, an arc of somewhat less than 180 being satisfactory for both purposes.

For locking or holding the lever 9 in open and closed positions, the cam 33 is notched or shouldered, as at 36, at either end of its camming face 34 the notches alternately interlocking or interfitting with or engaging the sleeve 30 as the lever reaches the opposite limits of its swing. The illustrated lever is provided with a radially graspable handle 37 by outturning the lower end portion of its arm 35 and this handle may be used both for actuating the lever and for opening the lid by the lever, the latter by forming on the arm beyond the cam 33 an outstanding stop or limiting lug 3S engageable in the released position of the lever with an abutment 39 on the outer face 49 of the hood 6 above the central opening 11.

With the seal between the cover 4 and the lid face 5 preferably ensured despite any unevenness in either confronting surface by an interposed neoprene or like gasket 41 bonded to the cover and with the spring 8 acting at its ends inwardly against the hinge lug Z and the cover, and intermediate its ends outwardly against the cam 33 and therethrough the hood 6, the improved lid, with the locking lever 9 released, will require a force for opening and closing on the order of that required by a lid not equipped with the locking lever 9 and associated structure, such as the lid of the Couch application, ordinarily between 40 and 60 pounds. However, once the present lid is closed, it is not limited in the closing pressure applied to its cover 4 by the pressure exerted by the spring 8 during opening and closing. Instead, by actuating the lever 9 to increase the force on the spring 8, the lid is enabled to have a much higher closing pressure. Thus, in the disclosed embodiment, in which the lever is employed to shift inwardly the axis of flexure of the spring, the force on the spring is substantially quadrupled with corresponding increase in the closing pressure.

It should be understood that the described and disclosed embodiment is merely exemplary of the invention and that all modifications are intended to be included which do not depart from either the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A journal box lid comprising a cover for closing an access opening in a journal box, a hood hingedly connectable tosaid journal box and connected for limited relative angling to said cover, spring means constantly reactable against said journal box and acting on said cover for yieldably resisting opening and closing of said lid, and re leasable means actable on said spring meansin the closed position of said lid for increasing the pressure on said spring means and therethrough the closing pressure on said cover.

2. A journal box lid comprising a cover for closing an access opening in a journal box, a hood hingedly connectable to said journal box and connected for limited relative angling to said cover, spring means constantly reactable against said journal box and acting on said cover for yieldably resisting opening and closing of said lid, and releasable lever means actable on said spring means in the closed position of said lid for increasing the pressure on said spring means and therethrough the closing pressure on said cover. 7

3. The combination with a journal box having a hinge lug and an access opening, of a journal box lid comprising a cover for closing said opening, a hood hingedly connected to said hinge lug and connected for limited relative angling to said cover, a torsion spring in said hood and bearing at opposite ends against said hinge lug and cover and intermediate its ends against said hood, and lever means pivotally mounted on said hood and engageable with said spring means intermediate its ends, said lever means being operative in the closed position of said lid for increasing the torsion on said spring and there" through the closing pressure on said cover.

4. The combination with a journal box having a hinge lug and an access opening, of a journal box lid comprising a cover for closing said opening, a hood hingedly connected to said hinge lug and connected for limited relative angling to said cover, a coil torsion spring in said hood and acting at opposite ends against said hinge lug and cover and intermediate its ends aganist said hood, and lever means pivotally mounted on said hood and operative in the closed position of said lid for forcing a flexing axis of said spring inwardly toward said cover and therethrough increasing the closing pressure thereon.

5. The combination with a journal box having a hinge lug and an access opening, of a journal box lid comprising a cover for closing said opening, a hood hingedly connected to said hinge lug and connected for limited relative angling to said cover, torsion spring means in said hood and having oppositely extending leg portions acting in wardly on said hinge lug and cover respectively, an outwardly acting coil portion on said spring intermediate said leg portions, and lever means pivotally mounted on said hood and operative on closing of said lid for forcing said coil portion inwardly relative to said leg portions and therethrough increasing the closing pressure exerted by said spring on said cover.

6. The combination with a journal box having a hinge lug and an access opening, of a journal box lid comprising a cover for closing said opening, a hood hingedly connected to said hinge lug and connected for limited relative angling to said cover, torsion spring means in said hood and having oppositely extending leg portions acting inwardly on said hinge lug and cover respectively, an outwardly acting coil portion on said spring means intermediate said leg portions, and a camming lever pivotally mounted on said hood and engaging means carried by said coil portion for forcing said coil portion inwardly relative to said leg portions and therethrough increasing the closing pressure exerted by said spring on said cover.

7. The combination with a journal box having a hinge lug and an access opening, of a journal box lid comprising a cover for closing said opening, a hood hingedly connected to said hinge lug and connected for limited relative angling to said cover, torsion spring means in said hood and having oppositely extending leg portions acting inwardly on said hinge lug and cover respectively, an outwardly acting coil portion on said spring intermediate said leg portions, and a camming lever pivotally mounted on said hood and having a camming face engaging means carried by said coil portion for forcing said coil portion inwardly relative to said leg portions and therethrough increasing the closing pressure exerted by said spring on said cover.

8. The combination with a journal box having a hinge lug and an access opening, of a journal box lid comprising a cover for closing said opening, a hood hingedly connected to said hinge lug and connected for limited relative angling to said cover, torsion spring means in said hood and having oppositely extending leg portions acting inwardly on said hinge lug and cover respectively, an outwardly acting coil portion on said spring intermediate said leg portions, a camming lever pivotally mounted on said hood and having a camming face engaging means carried by said coil portion for forcing said coil portion inwardly relative to said leg portions and therethrough increasing the closing pressure exerted by said spring on said cover, and means on said lever at opposite ends of said camming face and alternately engageable with said carried means for holding said lever in locked and released positions.

9. The combination with a journal box having a hinge lug and an access opening, of a journal box lid comprising a cover for closing said opening, a hood hingedly connected to said hinge lug and connected for limited relative angling to said cover, coil spring means in and having leg portions extending oppositely longitudinally of said hood and acting inwardly against said hinge lug and cover respectively, an outwardly acting coil portion on said spring intermediate said leg portions and coiled about an axis extending transversely of said hood, rod

means extending through said coil portion and riding at ends in inwardly opening guide slots in said hood, roller means rotatable on said rod means intermediate ends thereof, a camming lever pivotally mounted in inwardly facing seats in said hood and having a cam face engaging said roller means and effective on swinging of said lever to locked position for forcing said coil portion inwardly relative to said leg portions and therethrough increasing the closing pressure exerted by said spring means on said cover, and means on said camming lever and spaced about the pivotal axis thereof for alternately engaging said roller means and holding said lever in locked and released positions.

10. The combination with a journal box having a hinge lug and an access opening, of a journal box lid comprising a cover for closing said opening, a hood hingedlyconnected to said hinge lug and connected for limited relative angling to said cover, coil spring means in and having leg portions extending oppositely longitudinally of said hood and acting inwardly against said hinge lug and cover respectively, an outwardly acting coil portion on said spring intermediate said leg portions and coiled about an axis extending transversely of said hood, rod means extending through said coil portion and riding at ends in inwardly opening guide slots in said hood, roller means rotatable on said rod means intermediate ends thereof, a camming lever pivotally mounted in inwardly facing seats in said hood and having a cam face engaging said roller means and elfective on swinging of said lever to locking position for forcing said coil portion inwardly relative to said leg portions and therethrough increasing the closing pressure exerted by said spring means on said cover, means on said camming lever and spaced about the pivotal axis thereof for alternately engaging said roller means and holding said lever in locked and released positions, and stop means on said lever and engageable in the released position thereof with abutment means on said hood for enabling said lid to be opened by said lever.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

